Jeweled Butterfly Brooch on Mother of Pearl and Turquoise Flower

The Jeweled Butterfly on a Mother of Pearl and Turquoise Flower

When Santa Barbara jewelers Gregore and Jennifer-Rabe have the notion to create an elaborate and beautiful piece of jewelry it is for two reasons, because the impulse to create it is so strong and because intuitively they know others will derive joy from it also.

The  jeweled butterfly brooch came about when Gregore saw the opal in the rough. It was so beautiful he wanted to maximize the use of its size, and butterfly's are a popular theme for the Santa Barbara couple. The body came about because classic design houses like Cartier, and contemporary ones like  Wallace Chan and J.W.Currens have used colored stone pave in ways that have inspired them. The sapphires set into the gold body are of many tones like pink, purple and blue. The metal surrounding them is blackened to enhance their color. The antenna are pave set with diamonds in the classic Gregore style, the tightly arched line.

The Brooch is made with Opal wings and pave' with multicolored sapphires and diamonds.

The Butterfly is fashioned in the Victorian style of trembleuse brooches, where the flowers or insects vibrate with the movement of the wearer. The wings on this jeweled butterfly vibrate as you walk, so make sure to see this in action in the video below. There is a spring coiled up inside the body that is allowing the movement of the attached wing.

The flower is beautiful. We cut the petals out of black mother of pearl on the CNC machine following a model drawn in CAD. They were given a final polish by hand. The turquoise was cut for this project by hand and all parts joined together into a flower stand.

Cairns on our Santa Barbara Beaches

The beauty of Santa Barbara is well known. But a really enjoyable activity not often done is building Cairns which we do when walking Cesar the dog on the beach.

Santa Barbara beaches have interesting geological formations. Whether it's natural springs or irrigation runoff the strange minerally , mossy formations are very intriguing. We get lots of inspiration for our jewelry designs from our beach walks.

The beauty of Santa barbara is well known. But a really enjoyable activity not often done is building Cairns which we do when walking Cesar the dog on the beach.

an elegant Cairn

Angel, one of our favorite Kokeshi

Having these Kokeshi's tucked away is a bad idea. Much better to share their beauty and let them shine. We started a blog post 7/11/17 introducing the Kokeshi .

Kokeshi dolls are Japanese wooden dolls traditionally made for children. It is said that Kokeshi were originally sold to visitors to hot springs in the Tohoku region of Japan during the late Edo period (1600-1868), to supplement business and keep workers' hands busy during the winter months.

More Wood Jewelry

We like using the mill because we can take gorgeous arabesque designs and cut them fairly quickly, and making matching pairs with the flip of a switch-literally.

Ebony panel for earrings. As you can see there is waste because of supports.

The making of a Kokeshi at the gregore and Jennifer-Rabe jewelers workshop

Kokeshi is a doll  made in Japan for generations. To the US it is akin to the clothes peg doll. Though wood is the traditional material, in an inspired moment Gregory decided to create his line of Kokeshi's in gemstone and precious metals. Hiroku is a completed favorite shown below. In this series of blogs I will show you several stages in the creation of a Kokeshi, which can amount to hundreds of hours of work, so be patient because this may take a while!

Hiroku Kokeshi

Hunting for a stone for the body of Kokeshi #11

grinding the body

Japanese Lantern

Everything Japanese is a passion in our household. Gregore in particular has been very focused on making Asian themed Jewelry. Why you ask? because it is refined, detailed, balanced, and entranced with nature and all things made. The Ebony wood bead-like forms are an early phase of the earrings. He carved the Ebony wood with CNC because the detail and  precision, is painfully expensive if not.

Fish Series Earrings part 3

These luxurious earrings go well as daywear and businesswear. They are an attractive size at 28 millimeters or 1.1 inches in diameter. They look seemingly normal but on closer inspection you see the division of space with gold and wood or gold and turquoise are actually real cool fish. The diamond eyes add that special sparkle.

Fish Series in Wood and Gold part 2

We are going to the Santa Barbara Zoo for our Wedding Anniversary of 12 years. We are going there because of our love of animals and all things cute and living. We were enraptured by the little squirrel on the East Beach cliffs yesterday when we were walking Cesar during low tide.

Here the wood fish were cut away from their frame which held them aligned in the CNC machine. The cast gold faces are not quite ready because the sprue still juts out from their chins, but you can begin to see how the Swirl Fish Earrings in Natural wood and Turquoise and 18 karat yellow gold are coming together very nicely, thanks to great design, clever engineering and meticulous craftmanship, yeah baby!

Fish Series in Wood and Gold

Gregore loves nature and his ability to stylize what he perceives is a real strength. This is one of a series of steps to show the fish earring in process. What you see here are two types of natural wood cut in the mill into a swirl fish. The faces are cut in wax and then cast in yellow gold. A gem in the rough.

Whenever you need to destress just look at your finger and breath.

Buddha eyes gaze at you in utter repose. How can you not feel relaxed wearing these lovely rings. Jewelry is sentimental, it is meaningful, it evokes emotions, it gives immense pleasure. Gregore loves wedding rings. He has many and at a later date we will share them. Luckily I am not a jealous woman because he has 5 wedding rings so far! These rings are the eyes only, of Buddha faces carved in Eastern traditions. here they are captured in sterling silver, blackened sterling silver, and Turquoise and gold.

Bee and Honeycomb Custom Travel Box

Whether you are going to the gym or traveling somewhere, this custom box protects your valuable jewels.

To Bee or not to Bee #4

These gold earrings with mother of pearl and sapphire honeycombs, have  made someone happy! I saw the husband swoop them up for his wife at the auction for the MAD academy not too long ago. 

American jewelry design Council project "FIRE"

Talk about fun and fabulous. Gregore's signature whimsy is in full force with this carved and cast sterling silver match stick with the hand carved red glass hair, enameled red lips, and black jade sunglasses. I am smiling while I write this passion/blog. His sense of fun is so pure, and oh so cute!

These are just a few of his designs, his strength of course is really working out an idea on paper to get every detail and every proportion just right!

He is really good at carving lips!!! And sun glasses, and oh did I mention hair.........

Fastidious to a flaw he did carve this stylish hair twice out of glass making sure he didn't ruin the better piece. Did he go into the wrong profession??? Hmmmmm...

And of course she props up on an aluminum base he turned on the lathe-of course. I will confess this was last years, 2016, AJDC project but who cares this fiery lady has to be seen! Gregore and Jennifer-Rabe Jewelers, custom jewelry designs and engagement rings, made in Santa Barbara, CA.

To Bee, or not to Bee #3

The final episode of  Raising Bees at home for fun and profit 

The castings  are finished and its time to get them to a state of finish that one would expect from a piece of jewellery . 

18k yellow and silver Bees lining up for grooming into flashy little earrings 

A close up picture of the fold down ear hole location device with GPS sensor ,  I just need to take care not to get stung   

Drum roll please 

And a Bee is born , my first child . Buzz little Bee buzz. 

And wait  there is more .... 

More Bee earrings , working towards a whole hive of them 

Finally,  Bees  lots of bees in 18k gold and silver with 18k posts  the silver version comes with abalone wings 

And what about a home for them to live in when they go off into the world to have adventures of their own.  Each Bee earring comes in a box that is made right here in our shop in Santa Barbara. 

A custom made box that keeps the Bee earrings safe no matter where you go ; from the gym to the office or that around the world trip you have been planning for years. 

The AHA would like me to mention that no bees were harmed in the filming of this blog and any dangerous stunts were performed by professionally trained stunt bees .

To Bee, or not to Bee # 2

Since out last episode of  Name that Bee  I have designed the model in cad and cut a brass model  on the CNC machine , I also had time to work on the wing model and cut them directly  in mother of pearl  also with the CNC 

Here is a quick pic of the brass bee with sprue soldered on soon it will be rubber molded and cast in 18k yellow gold and silver 

Now that is a lot of bee wings , all snug in their  storage case waiting for the Bee castings to be ready  the darker ones on the right side are abalone shell. 

 come back soon and see our next exciting episode where we will finish the castings and add the wings , and create a custom travel box .  

To Bee, or not to Bee, #1

Whether  'tis nobler to be a Bee or a gemmy  Bee that is the question put to me. 

For years I have wanted to find the time to create a bee earring , and somehow just recently I found the time to start, there was quite a few ideas to choose from in my sketch book as this little flying wonder keeps showing up in my head.  The drawing was a good place to start, the next step is the cad model, then cut a few waxes make a few changes to get it right then cut a brass model for molding.  Sounds so simple  but usually this is a multi day project to get it perfect . 

Final drawing of what will soon be an 18k yellow gold bee earring  with mother of pearl wings 

Buddha wedding rings

Buddha rings

This LIMITED edition ring originally designed as just a fun every day ring and one that I have been dreaming of doing for years , finally it is done and I loved it so much I made the first one for me as my wedding ring , yes I have more than one.   This is your chance to show your style be it that circle of precious metal that will be a symbol of your commitment to each other or just your promise to wanting the best.

LIMITED to 100 pieces

 Price starting @ $800.00   in silver with 24k accents

 call for gold version pricing

wedding rings with a buddha personality  in 18k yellow gold with or with out turquoise and in silver natural or blackened 

October 30th, Fine jewellery showcase

What a fantastic opportunity for you see all the jewels we have been working on this Fall, from a blackened silver, Buddha inspired ring, to a dazzling collection of unique multicolored pearl rings. We design  His and Hers, Hers and Hers, and His and His  wedding rings, symbols of love and a lifetime relationship. Come see our beautiful display at the Wedding Showcase on October 30th , 11am-3pm, at the elegant Santa Barbara Rockwood Women's Club in Santa Barbara, California.

Mens wedding bands in black carbon fiber and 18k yellow gold , and just a few pink sapphires for a splash of color.